POLL: Is Paul Mariner the right coach to lead Toronto FC?

Paul Mariner, the new head coach of Toronto FC, at a news conference announcing his new position.

By:Daniel GirardSports Reporter, Published on Thu Jun 07 2012

With the playoffs farther out of sight than ever, Paul Mariner is now the seventh head coach of Toronto FC in six seasons.

“We know that we’re in a hole,” the new boss said of TFC’s last-place standing. “We know that we’re in a poor situation.

“I told this to the players: ‘We are better than this, 100 per cent.’”

Mariner replaces Aron Winter in the top job. Tom Anselmi, chief operating officer of TFC owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, said the two met recently and agreed the head coach and technical director should step down.

Mariner inherits a team that striker Danny Koevermans — one of the team’s stars — called “the worst team in the world.” The club opened the season with nine straight losses, a Major League Soccer record. It has never made the playoffs in the six years since its inception. It’s now 1-9, dead last in the league with 25 games left to play.

The losses aren’t because of spending. Three of the team’s players are in the league’s million-dollar-a-year club. Only nine players in the entire league are in that class.

Yet Mariner — who, since an earlier coaching change implemented by Winter on May 14, has been working in training with the club’s strikers — insisted this is not starting over.

“The players are good enough,” the 59-year-old told reporters. “All (of) it is minor adjustments. It’s not a massive overhaul. The players will be competitive.”

Mariner, a former English international and Premier League star, was hired alongside Winter as TFC’s director of player development in January 2011. A former assistant with the MLS New England Revolution, he will be head coach and director of soccer operations.

It will be a tough debut for Mariner. Three of TFC’s next five games are away, beginning with visits to Sporting Kansas City (8-3-1) on June 16 and Houston (4-3-4) on June 20.

Midfielder Terry Dunfield said the players, who have just returned to training after enjoying a few days off as part of a three-week break for World Cup qualifying, were surprised and disappointed by the news of Winter’s departure after back-to-back wins.

TFC beat Vancouver 1-0 on May 23 to win a fourth straight Canadian championship and advance to the CONCACAF Champions League. The Reds then ended an MLS-record nine-game losing streak to start the season by defeating Philadelphia 1-0 on May 26.

“We’ve played well over the last couple of weeks,” Dunfield said. “It was disappointing that the break came and we didn’t have the games to keep the momentum going.

“But, in football, you’re judged by your results and unfortunately for him it’s normally the manager who takes the blame.”

There were times under Winter when the Reds played a dynamic game, moving the ball well and creating scoring chances. Unfortunately, those times were overshadowed by a porous defence and a gaffe-prone lineup that seemed to make at least one huge mistake a match that ended up in the back of the net.

During one particularly bleak stretch, the players and coach seemed to be at odds. Some players opened questioned the side’s tactics while Winter suggested the players weren’t good enough

The 45-year-old Winter leaves Toronto with a regular-season mark of 7-22-15, winning just one game on the road.

His team was outscored 80-44 during his tenure.

Anselmi called Winter “one of the classiest people you’ll meet in professional sports.” Winter, midway through a three-year deal, was offered another role within the club but declined.

Dunfield, who said the players share responsibility for Winter’s departure, said the team agrees with Mariner that it’s much better than the record indicates.

“I truly believe that we have something special in the changing room and hopefully now Paul can bring it out of us,” he said.

Anselmi, who said he’s “real confident” in Mariner’s ability to turn the team around, was at a loss to explain why nothing he’s tried over the years has produced results on the field, including Winter.

“What matters now is we’ve got to start getting it right,” Anselmi said. “We’re six years into it. Our fans deserve a better product.

“We’ve seen glimpses of it lately but we need to see it consistently.”

Toronto FC by the numbers

0 — Seasons with a winning record

0 — Playoff appearances

7 — Coaches in six years

41-76-47 — Overall record

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